This Week In Weed – 27 January 2019

A debate at Royal College of Psychiatrists on whether criminalising people who use cannabis protects against mental ill health was cancelled because no one agreed to argue that current UK law protects the health of people who take the drug, according to the British Medical Journal.

Instead, only David Nutt, the pro-cannabis professor of neuropsychopharmacology at Imperial College London, spoke on 23 January at the Royal College of Psychiatrists in London.

The motion to have been debated was “Decriminalising cannabis use will lead to higher rates of mental illness.”

US cannabis company Acreage Holdings says CBS has turned down its proposed 30-second advert for the Super Bowl. CNN said a source close to the network said that CBS does not currently accept any cannabis-related advertising.

George Allen, president of Acreage Holdings, said the ad focused on the benefits of medical marijuana.

“We’re disappointed by the news but somewhat unsurprised,” Allen said, adding that media companies were unwilling to show cannabis ads as long as cannabis remains illegal for recreational and medical use on a federal level.

Statistics Canada has reported that $54m (£31m) was spent on cannabis in the first month following legalisation.

The figures understate the potential of the market for several reasons. Sales in Ontario, the most populous province, are limited to online orders until 25 stores open in April, while demand is hugely outstripping supply.